Customers Don't Need to Be Sold... They Need Options

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You wouldn't walk into Home Depot and find just one drill on the shelf. So why do so many plumbers walk into a home, diagnose the problem, and offer exactly one repair? That's not educating a customer. That's limiting them.

This entry in the Trade Traction Belief Series breaks down why plumbers aren't salespeople, they're educators, and why "my customer can't afford the better option" is one of the most expensive lies in service plumbing. You'll hear the questions that earn you the right to recommend, why stocking the shelf with real options uncovers your 80-20 customer, and why the best service companies aren't the best sales organizations, they're the best training organizations.

Topics discussed:

(00:00) - Why plumbers aren't salespeople, they're educators
(01:01) - The Home Depot drill aisle lesson
(01:52) - The biggest lie in service plumbing
(02:36) - The questions that earn you the right to recommend
(02:58) - How to actually stock the shelf with options
(03:29) - The 80-20 law and why it changes everything
(04:29) - Why you have to become a training company
(04:49) - What the gas station and movie theater get right
(05:41) - The real lesson: educate, don't sell
(06:09) - What changes in your company once you stock the shelf

This is part of the Trade Traction Belief Series: The core beliefs that built an eight-figure plumbing company. 

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This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique

The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Customers don't need to be sold. They need their shelf stocked. Welcome back to the Trade Traction Belief Series. This is a belief number eight that needs to be talked about. Now I know what some of you are thinking, Dennis, I'm a plumber. I'm not a salesperson. Good, because neither was I. In fact, most people hate sales. And honestly, I don't blame them. Most of us have had terrible sales experiences. Someone knocking on our door trying to convince us to buy something we never wanted in the first place. That's sales. But that's not what we do. Our customers already have a problem. They searched online, they read reviews, and they invited us into their home because they believe we can help. Our job isn't to sell them, our job is to educate them. And that starts by stocking their shelf with options. Let me show you what I mean. Let's think about Home Depot. Here's what customers actually want choices. When you walk into Home Depot and head over to the drill aisle, imagine there was only one drill on the shelf. Wouldn't that seem strange? Of course it would. Instead, there are dozens, right? Cheap drills, professional drills, contractor drills, battery kits, premium brands, budget brands, right? There's everything. Why? Because Home Depot doesn't decide which drill you should buy. They stock the shelf. The customer decides. So why do so many plumbers walk into someone's home, diagnose a problem, and only offer one repair? That's not educating. That's limiting. That's weird, actually. Here's the biggest lie. The biggest lie in service plumbing. My customer can't afford the better options. Really? How do you know? Did they tell you? Or did you decide for them? One of the most expensive mistakes a plumber can make is spending someone else's money in their own head. Never decide what your customer values. Let them decide. Think about it. If you came in with your dirty clothes to Home Depot and they said, hey, this guy doesn't look like he can afford much, and never offered you a Milwaukee drill. Isn't that weird? Most plumbers buy Milwaukee, the most expensive brand. Then we go into people's homes and think that they won't be like us. You know, we have to earn the right. Here's what customers actually want: a professional, someone who asks questions. How long are you planning to live here? Has this ever happened before? Is reliability important? Are you planning on remodeling? Do you like the fixture? Would you rather repair this or solve it once? Those questions earn you the right to make recommendations. Now you're not selling, you're advising. So we stock the shelf. Once you've earned that right, stock the shelf. Start with the very best solution you have with all the bells and whistles. Show them the premium options, then really good options, then standard repairs, then the budget repair, maybe even a band-aid that simply gets them through. The one you don't want to do, but you can. Your job isn't choosing, your job is making sure the shelf is full. Their job is choosing what they value. I love the 80-20 law. Here's where business gets exciting. The law of 8020 shows up everywhere. Imagine 100 drain cleaning customers, most by the basic service, right? But around 20 of them will happily, so to speak, spend four times more if you show them something they value. Hydro jetting, maybe a spot repair if it's shallow, maybe a short pipelining, maybe a partial replacement if it's shallow. Then something amazing happens. 20% of those customers will buy even more. And one of those customers may choose a complete sewer replacement. Not because you sold them, because you gave them the opportunity and they decided you'll never discover the 8020 customer if you never stock the shelf. It's all about training. Here's what this really means: if you're going to offer options, you have to know your craft. You got to know what you're doing. You have to become a training company. Your technicians need to understand products, repair methods, replacement options, features, benefits, warranties, because you can't recommend what you don't understand. The best service companies aren't the best sales organizations, they're the best training organizations. Think about the gas station. Here's something everyone needs to understand. If gas stations only sold gasoline, they'd go out of business. They make hardly any money with the gas. They survive because people buy coffee, energy drinks, snacks, beef jerky, right? Whatever. Think about the movie theater. Same thing. If everyone skipped the popcorn that's too expensive, that business model falls apart. The same thing happens in plumbing. If all you ever do is stop the drip, replace the flapper, or clear the clog over and over, eventually you'll go out of business. Not because you weren't busy, because you weren't profitable. Offering options isn't about taking advantage of customers. It's about building a healthy company that can still be there 10 years from now when those customers need you again. Here's the big lesson. Here's what I've learned. Customers don't need to be sold. They need to be educated. They need options. They need someone competent enough to explain what's available and professional enough to let them choose. I've always believed something. We don't pressure people into buying. We give them permission to choose. And when you stock the shelf, the 80-20 law starts showing up. Profit increases, customers are happier, your technicians make more money, and your company finally has the resources to grow. That's not sales, that's professionalism. Hey, learning how to stock the shelf changed my company. It changed our average ticket, it changed our culture, it changed our profits, they went up, and it changed the lives of our plumbers because they stopped feeling like salespeople and started acting like trusted advisors. If you'd like to learn exactly how we price jobs, build options, and uncover the 8020 law inside your own business, head over to trade traction.com and take the free assessment. It'll show you where you are today, what you should work on next. And if you'd like some help, you can even book a call with me. I built the company I once dreamed of. Now it's your turn. I'm Dennis the Apprentice. And remember, customers don't need to be sold. They need their shelf stocked. I'll see you in the next episode.